Windows Command Line Blog
blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline · Company blog · on HN since 2016
Microsoft's Windows Command Line team blog covers the console, terminal features, WSL, and the history of the Windows command line.
What HN saysHN commenters recommend its technical series on console history and note its work on VT escapes, 24-bit color, ColorTool, and a warning about editing Linux files from Windows.
101HN people shared it
46linked it in comments
81stories submitted
3.5Kstory points
7 years agolast shared
2016people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1Do not change Linux files using Windows apps and tools12 people · 549 points · first shared 2016 · 262 comments on HN
- 224-bit Color in the Windows Console8 people · 22 points · first shared 2016 · 1 comments on HN
- 3AF_Unix comes to Windows6 people · 36 points · first shared 2017 · 2 comments on HN
- 4Windows Command-Line: The Evolution of the Windows Command-Line6 people · 22 points · first shared 2018 · 3 comments on HN
- 5Introducing the Windows Pseudo Console (ConPty)5 people · 297 points · first shared 2018 · 190 comments on HN
- 6A History of the Windows Command-Line5 people · 13 points · first shared 2018 · discussion on HN
- 7Introducing the Windows Console Colortool5 people · 7 points · first shared 2017 · discussion on HN
- 8What’s New in WSL in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update4 people · 23 points · first shared 2017 · 1 comments on HN
- 9Windows Command-Line: Unicode and UTF-8 Output Text Buffer4 people · 12 points · first shared 2018 · 1 comments on HN
- 10Bash on Ubuntu on Windows3 people · 420 points · first shared 2016 · 422 comments on HN
- 11What’s New in Bash/WSL and Windows Console3 people · 332 points · first shared 2017 · 238 comments on HN
- 12Inside the Windows Console3 people · 286 points · first shared 2018 · 252 comments on HN
- 13Ubuntu now available from the Windows store3 people · 234 points · first shared 2017 · 211 comments on HN
- 14New Experimental Console Features3 people · 7 points · first shared 2018 · discussion on HN
- 15Will Linux distro’s run on Windows 10 S?3 people · 6 points · first shared 2017 · 1 comments on HN
What HN people wrote when they linked it
mixmastamyk · 2019-05-06
It's part backwards-compatibility (historically very important at MS), and part politics (Ballmer-era shortsightedness).
Anyway, there is a great series on the technical aspects: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2018/06/20/windows-comman…
WorldMaker · 2018-10-16
The Command Line team recently updated the default colors (especially a less terrible blue), but unfortunately it doesn't auto-apply to existing profiles for backwards compatibility concern reasons. Highly recommend grabbing the ColorTool and updating to the new colors if you get a chance.
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2017/08/02/updating-the-w…
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2017/08/11/introducing-th…
DuskStar · 2018-02-11
While I do agree that the Docker setup method in the post is more reliable, I recommend following this post on MSDN [0]. Exposing Docker to localhost like that really isn't the most secure of setups!
And it really is remarkable how much better development on Windows has become over the last 2 years.
[0] https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2017/12/08/cross-post-wsl…
coldacid · 2017-12-12
Windows Console has improved a lot since Creators Update, adding built-in support for many VT escapes (including all the common ones) and even 24-bit color in the console. They're doing their best to make it first class for developers. You should follow the command line team's blog: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/
ryl00 · 2017-09-14
From https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2016/11/17/do-not-change-…
Therefore, be sure to follow these two rules in order to avoid losing files, and/or corrupting your data:
DO store files in your Windows filesystem that you want to create/modify using Windows tools AND Linux tools
DO NOT create / modify Linux files from Windows apps, tools, scripts or consoles
Remember: There's a reason we gave the %localappdata%\lxss\ folder 'hidden' & 'system' attributes
bitcrazed · 2017-04-13
Hi - PM for Windows Console & Bash on Windows here.
YES ... one day ;)
We're keen to figure out a decent tab story for the console, and the feature ask is on our backlog, but we're currently fully booked completing some important internal re-factoring, after which we'll be able to return to working on important asks like this.
FWIW, we're currently giving the Windows Console its biggest overhaul in > 30 years!! We're re-factoring and modernizing many of the Console's core internals.
We'll be writing-up the why's and wherefores of what we're up to in a couple of months.
Stay tuned on our blog (https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline) and follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/richturn_ms) for news, udpates, and info.
dcw303 · 2017-04-12
The inotify implementation looks very promising! Editing source files in a Windows-native IDE and having changes picked up by, say, node.js is a great workflow.
I'm yet to try it out, but I wonder if the problems with editing files in the linux filesystem[0] is going to be an issue with this?
[0]: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2016/11/17/do-not-change-…
daenney · 2017-04-12
> Things that require a GUI require you to have a separate X server running. WSL, as far as I know, does not support running X11.
They mention X/GUI support in the "What's new in Bash/WSL" article[1].
> Note: Some of you may also have been following along with some intrepid explorations into running X/GUI apps and desktops on WSL. While we don’t explicitly support X/GUI apps/desktops on WSL, we don’t do anything to block/prevent them from running. So if you manage to get your favorite editor, desktop, browser, etc. running, GREAT but know that we are still focusing all our efforts on delivering a really solid command-line experience, running all the command-line developer tools you need.
[1]: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2017/04/11/windows-10-cre…
smittywerben · 2019-01-23
It's the real curl[0]. I actually like the aliases and they've even added ctrl-shift paste in the options. Maybe they should be the default.
The windows filesystem still makes no sense but that's an NT issue (dropbox cant sync con.sh???). SSH has a surprisingly native feel but graphical apps (vim, screen) still have rendering problems, and the ssh-agent daemon isn't set up right by default.
Until they make Windows LTSC unusable, it's not _too_ horrible right now. But for a serious programming project there's still no question for me (but fix your damnable sound drivers Ubuntu).
[0] https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2018/01/18/tar-and-curl-c…
amaccuish · 2018-12-12
> I think it's time for MS to develop a new ANSI/VT-compliant...
They are doing exactly that: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2018/08/02/windows-comman…
voltagex_ · 2018-12-12
This is changing:
* Desired State Configuration: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/dsc/overview
* Powershell Remoting (please, please let SSH replace this)
* Microsoft's new command line push - cmd and the underlying console have had big updates recently
* https://github.com/microsoft/console
* https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2018/07/20/windows-comman…
raesene9 · 2018-11-06
I find WSL can really help in this regard. It's being actively developed by Microsoft and they're making the interop between WSL and windows better over time (a good example of this is https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2018/11/05/whats-new-for-… on what's new in October)
So what I tend to do is use linux install paths and do my scripting work in WSL, with my more GUI/Corp apps in windows.
All they need to do now is get raw network sockets working and finish off Linux Docker engine support in WSL and I'll be sorted!
efreak · 2018-11-04
You can actually turn on case insensitivity in windows, though not all software will like it.
NT has always supported case-insensitivity (at least somewhat) via a registry key[1].
With windows 10's linux subsystem, there is now a new command to make a _directory_ case sensitive[2].
[1]: http://www.nicklowe.org/2012/02/understanding-case-sensitivity-in-wind…
[2]: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2018/02/28/per-directory-…
mpolsz · 2018-10-19
> I would be curious to know more about how you are doing this. Maybe Microsoft fixed this since I last used WSL, but if they didn't then you may be sitting on a ticking time bomb, see: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2016/11/17/do-n...
From linked post:
Note: Your "Linux files" are any of the files and folders under %localappdata%\lxss - which is where the Linux filesystem - distro and your own files - are stored on your drive
It does say later on that storing files on windows filesystem and accessing it via /mnt/c is ok
actf · 2018-10-18
I would be curious to know more about how you are doing this. Maybe
Microsoft fixed this since I last used WSL, but if they didn't then you may be sitting on a ticking time bomb, see: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2016/11/17/do-not-change-…
Goz3rr · 2018-10-16
I don't see the issue with this, they clearly warn you not to modify the WSL filesystem from Windows because you'll break it: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2016/11/17/do-not-change-…
They advertise it as being useful for development work, and it perfectly fulfills that purpose for me
cyxxon · 2018-10-11
Also note that there actually is a team hard at work improving the console, so fixes will probably come. See the last two entries in this blog: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/tag/console/
wvenable · 2018-10-05
You mean like this?
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2018/06/27/windows-comman…
mey · 2018-10-03
Better terminals are coming to Windows. https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2018/08/02/windows-comman…
supernovae · 2018-09-04
Conemu works (and is opensource) and Microsoft has already said they're adding official pty support.
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2018/08/02/windows-comman…
Every mac owner quickly switches to iTerm from built in terminal nd lets be honest - there are a bazillion payware options for windows people could use too.
davidandgoliath · 2018-09-03
It's handy, I'll give you that. Until this bug (feature?) is sorted, it's dangerous: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2016/11/17/do-not-change-…
reificator · 2018-08-22
The article is about powershell to powershell remoting. I like powershell itself fairly well, but I just feel so much more comfortable in bash/zsh and more importantly the environment around them.
I'm interested to see whether Windows SSH servers become more viable after ConPTY[0] is widely available.
[0]: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2018/08/02/windows-comman…
jchw · 2017-12-21
>There is currently no support for Windows. Cygwin is very broken. It doesn't support AF_UNIX properly, and so no further development will be done for this platform.
Boy do I have good news for whoever wrote this:
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2017/12/19/af_unix-comes-…
jve · 2017-12-12
I hope you are aware that Windows 10 has improved console: https://blogs.windows.com/buildingapps/2014/10/07/console-improvements…
And keeps improving: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/tag/console/
hirsin · 2017-12-12
Have you tried this out in recent Windows releases? We added 24-bit color support [1] to the console in Sep 2016, and built a colortool (that supports solarized) this summer [2]. Most of this should work, and we're all ears for things that don't.
1. https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2016/09/22/24-bit-color-i…
2. https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2017/08/11/introducing-th…
JoBrad · 2017-12-12
Have you used Windows recently? The Console team has made significant improvements in the last year, with more on the way. This article has a good rundown of some.
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2017/10/11/whats-new-in-w…
userbinator · 2017-09-14
The parent is storing files on the "Windows" part of the filesystem and accessing them from WSL, while my post (and https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2016/11/17/do-not-change-… which it indirectly links to) refers to storing files on the "Linux" part of the filesystem and accessing them from Windows (apparently some files must be in the Linux part, like certain configuration files etc.)
Incidentally, the response from a MSFT employee about why this isn't a problem with Samba is "Because this isn’t a supported mechanism for accessing files via a networked file access protocol; it’s what happens when a hacker modifies files stored in a hidden system folder.", which is pretty much a non-answer and almost a "you're doing it wrong" accusation in an attempt to hide from the fact that they seriously screwed this up.
donquichotte · 2017-09-14
WSL is nice and I would use it more often if USB devices were transparently mapped into it. I want to use it for embedded development on my Windows machine, and without USB support this is just not possible.
Edit: apparently they added it in May [1], but I have no access to the newest update.
[1] https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2017/05/10/bashwsl-inside…
chrisan · 2017-07-29
Wasn't that the first beta release of insider? I thought they fixed inode support
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/commandline/2016/10/07/wsl-adds-inoti…